"When the umpire takes the stand"

Professor George Williams writes about how critics of judicial activism are happy to step away from the soapbox when court rulings go their way (Sydney Morning Herald, 12 November 2011). Please see summary below:

When the High Court stopped the Malaysia solution in its tracks, the decision drew a familiar response. People were quick to assert that the court, under Chief Justice Robert French, had turned ''activist''. ''Activist'' is a label which is normally applied by way of censure and rebuke. It suggests a judge has stepped outside the bounds of their authority. The implication is that they have become more of a politician than a jurist.

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